The BART Board of Directors approved labor contracts Thursday to increase financial stability for BART’s three largest labor unions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board approved three-year extension contracts for BART employees represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union, or ATU, Local 1555; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, Local 3993; and the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, Local 1021. The approval comes more than six months before the current contracts expire June 30, according to BART spokesperson Jim Allison.

“What this contract does for the district, taxpayers, workers and riders is it provides some stability for us in a very unstable time,” Allison said. “It’s just remarkable that our management, labor leaders and unionized BART workers came together to listen and address each other’s needs in order to reach this agreement during the pandemic.”

The contract term is July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2024 and, if there is a rebound in weekday ridership to at least 60% of pre-pandemic ridership rates during the last two years of the contract, it includes a modest wage increase, according to Allison. The potential wage increase rises incrementally for every 5% rise in ridership above the 60%, Allison added.

Aside from wage provisions, the contract also includes changes in operations at the extension from Pittsburg/Bay Point station to Antioch station, Allison said. Beginning March 22, new station agents — staff who patrol and manage station operations and provide customer service — will be added to the Antioch station, according to Allison.

“We don’t know when or how fast ridership will bounce back, but we have to be prepared for when it does,” said John Arantes, BART chapter president of SEIU 1021. “These provisions allow us to take advantage of a bad situation and get work done so that when things go back to normal, the BART system will be safer and more reliable for everyday riders.”

Arantes said the “early approval” of the extension contracts allows BART and the unions to dedicate the next six months before the deadline of the current contract to work, such as planning the budget for 2021 and ensuring operations are working efficiently.

Many BART employees have expressed their support for the contract, with 93% of SEIU and 95% of AFSCME members voting in favor of its ratification in early November, according to Sal Cruz, president of AFSCME Local 3993.

“Having employees represent their own interests and the collective bargaining of agreements is so tantamount to getting us through these really tough times,” Cruz said. “Considering that we were able to work together and come to an agreement, even with close to 4000 different BART employees across three labor unions, is a very historic moment for us.”